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conscious or an unconscious influence of their
material position. Pure thought, according to
this philosophy, is an impossibility. This is 9
philosophy which regards material environment
as everything. It is plain that behind this
interpretation of history^ which regards material
environment as the deciding factor in social progress,
the materialistic conception of universe is quite
predominant* And so, even though modern
socialists might maintain that Marxian materia-
lism has nothing to do with the metaphysical
aspects of this doctrine, one cannot accept this
statement because metaphysical materialism
runs like a thread through all the assertions
and theorisations of Marxism. And again, this
metaphysics is based on the science of the
nine-teenth century in which Marx lived and
worked. We know that Marx was largely
influenced by Hegel in his theories and philo"
sophies. But he has turned Hegel upside down,
for the latter believed in an Absolute Idea to
which all creation is moving through the process
of thesiSJ anti-thesis and synthesis. But to Marx
these* Conceptions of the Absolute Idea and the
world moving to a predestined plan were repugnant